Alice's Human Sacrifice
by Rolling-Chan
Summary: "This can't be right. Dreams are supposed to be pleasant. Wonders are supposed to bring you joy. Fairytales are supposed to give reason for hope. So why . . . So why does it feel as if we have fallen into an eternal nightmare?" An Alice Human Sacrifice fanfic.
1. Chapter 1

She was dead.

Her empty eyes stared at nothing.

Her now cold skin was beginning to turn to ice.

She wasn't breathing.

He had killed her.

Len continued to stare at his sister's dead body. It was weird seeing Rin, who was normally energetic and playful, stone still. It was unusual to see Rin's normally rosey cheeks turn chalk white. Her shoulder length blonde hair spread out around her head like a halo, and the yellow ribbon that was tied around her neck had come undone. The expression on her face and in her eyes was one of pure horror. He had done this to her, Len knew. He had murdered his own twin sister.

No matter how hard Len tried to remember, everything was still a blur. One moment he and Rin were happily traveling through the forest, next he was strangling her as she pleaded for him to come to his senses, and before he knew what happened, Len woke up from what seemed to be an unexpected nap to find Rin lying on her back, red hand prints covering her neck. Len called to Rin, shaking her and begging her to not be dead, but she didn't stir. She was gone. Rin was dead. Len had murdered her with his own bare hands.

Reaching out, Len carefully grazed his fingers across Rin's cheek. She was cold. Too cold. Too ashamed to stare into her dead eyes any longer, Len gently closed her cerulean eyes. As much as he wished for her eyes that mirrored his own to look at him with joy again, Len knew it wouldn't be. Consumed with grief, Len placed his face into the palms of his hands and began to sob uncontrollably.

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Waking to find himself in unfamiliar surroundings, it took Len some moments to remember where he was. _Wonderland. . ._ he inwardly sighed.

"Rin," he called for his sister, only to be reminded of his evil deed when he saw her body still lying where he had last seen it. The night before, where he was in too much shock to fully feel the impact of what he did, was when his emotions were most numb. Now, knowing for a fact that he was not dreaming and that Rin was indeed dead, was almost too much to bear.

"Rin! Rin!" Len cried as he threw himself over his sister's body. "I'm so sorry," he sobbed. "I promised to protect you in this strange place, but instead I killed you. I'm a murderous brother. Rin . . . Oh my God. Rin, I'm so sorry!"

What Len felt was something he would never dream of wishing on even his worst enemies. It felt as if a piece of Len's very existence was shattered on the ground, the remains too small to ever hope to be connected again. Never had Len in his entire life feel so empty and hollow. Rin, who had been Len's very reason to live, now lay motionless on the ground. Len had destroyed a major part of himself, leaving him feeling utterly hopeless. What good is living when you know you never will be whole again? Not even the bitterest of Len's tears could ease his pain.

How long he had cried, Len didn't know. It could have been minutes, it could have been hours; Len didn't know the difference, nor did he care. Rin was dead. He had no reason to live now. None. Without his elder twin sister, life meant nothing to Len. It would have meant nothing to Len if he had if he had died right then. What reason had he to go on?

After he was dry of sorrowful tears, Len wiped off his face and stood up. "I can't stay here too long," he told himself. "I need to keep moving. _We_ need to keep moving." With that, Len bent down and scooped up Rin. There may have been no life within her, but Len didn't have it in him to abandon her. Rin was sister, whether she was dead or alive. They would always be together. They would never part. Ever.

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It was an unusual sight, as the rumors claimed. A boy no more than fourteen carrying a girl who looked exactly like him. She was dead, they knew. He had killed her, they believed. No one was going to stop the boy, they said. The girl was not a Wonderland citizen, so what did she matter to the public? As long as the boy didn't harm any one of Wonderland's inhabitants, no one would be out to stop him. Or so they thought.

Watching from her mirror on the wall, a woman laughed at the sight of the boy carrying his dead twin. "The poor dear," she smiled, a hand raised to cover her mouth. "He hasn't the sense to acknowledge that his sister is gone."

She laughed again as she began to use a finger to twirl her long green hair. Her eyes shone like emeralds, and she was considered by many to be the most beautiful creature in all of Wonderland. Her red and black dress hugged her petite figure, and jewelry adorned her neck and wrists. A crown sat proudly at the top of her head, proclaiming the woman to be Wonderland's queen. Everyone loved her. With her soft, fair skin, shining eyes, and silk hair, who wouldn't consider her beautiful?

"Shall we unMark the boy, Your Highness?" a servant in a gray waistcoat asked.

The queen tilted her head in thought. "No, keep him Marked. He's still young. Perhaps I can use him in the future."

"Are you not afraid he will go mad?" another servant asked. "He is carrying around the body of his dead sister. Last I checked, that was not classified as sane."

"Losing the girl is still fresh on the boy," the queen answered as she moved towards a crystal ball on the table. She stroked the ball twice before saying, "Give him time before we make any hasty decisions. He may eventually let go. If not, and he goes mad, then kill him. Of course," the queen looked again into her mirror, seeing Len carrying Rin and ignoring the stares people gave him, "he may be mad already. Let us pray, for my sake, that he is not."

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Was Len mad? He didn't know. Nobody knew. It was a question that not even the wisest had an answer to.

Len continued to carry around his sister's body. Everywhere he went, Rin went with him. Len would glare at anyone who stared too long at the two children and growled at anyone who dare approach them. It soon became clear that Len was overly protective of the lifeless body.

Once he set Rin down under a tree as he went to the river in order to get a drink. When he had returned, Len found a group of men digging into Rin's pockets. "Get away from her!" Len shouted as he ran towards them. At first they scoffed at the boy, but Len walked straight in front of the apparent leader and delivered a hook punch to the jaw.

Spitting out a tooth, the leader took a knife from his pocket and said, "You're going to regret that, punk."

Len didn't answer, instead he dodged the knife as it swung towards him. The blond kept dodging, waiting for the opportunity to strike back. The attacker mistook Len's patience and planning as weakness and began to laugh, "Not so tough now, aren't ya?"

The knife was heading full speed towards Len's head, but the boy knelt down and simultaneously avoided the blow and picked up a rock twice the size of his fist. Standing upright again, Len swung the rock towards the man's temple. The man stumbled as if drunk, and Len seized the opportunity to snatch the knife from the man.

"That girl over there," Len warned the men as he pointed at Rin, "is - _was_ \- my twin sister, and I killed her. If I was able to kill her," Len pointed the knife at the men, "what makes you think I would have a problem skinning all of you?"

They heard the rumors that claimed he killed the girl, and they knew that if the boy was able to steal a knife so effortlessly then he was bound to be something to go up against. Despite appearing weak, Len was able to hold his own in a fight, as he had just proved. If these men were going to cause trouble, then Len would let them have it. Thinking better of starting another fight, the men left Len and his dead sister alone.

After they had gone, Len sighed as he sat next to his sister. He threw the knife he had stolen away, and the knife dug into the trunk of the tree it was thrown at. "I'm sorry Rin," he apologized again as he reached out to stroke her blonde hair. "I'm sorry you're dead. It's all my fault. . . . I'm a monster."

Len then ran his fingers along her cheek. As strange as it sounded, Len was still half expecting Rin to open her eyes and tackle him with a hug. There was just no way Rin was dead. Rin had to be filled with more life than anyone Len had ever seen, so how was she so lifeless now?

Tears began to trickle down Len's face. There was nothing he couldn't think of that he wouldn't do to bring Rin back to him. Whatever the price would be to get his sister back, he'd pay it. Len wrapped his hand around Rin's cheek. He knew it was impossible to bring back the dead, but he also know one thing in his heart.

Len would make any sacrifices necessary to have Rin back.

No cost would be too high.

* * *

Author's Note: I know, I know. I shouldn't be publishing new fanfics when I haven't even finished my old ones. However, I was having an Alice Human Sacrifice kick and just could not ignore writing this. I mean, I have been wanting to write a fanfic for this song for ages, so why would I pass up writing it when I finally get a good idea?

As you can tell, this story takes place after the song. I know the most popular theory of the song's ending is that Meiko-San killed the twins, but I went with the second famous one: Len-Kun killed Rin-Chan before carrying her body around everywhere he went. Better plots can be developed out of that theory.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter despite nothing really happening yet. Slow first chapter is slow.

-Ray

Disclaimer: I don't own Vocaloid, Alice Human Sacrifice, or _Alice in Wonderland._


	2. Chapter 2

The queen ran a brush through her green hair. She had never grown tired of the softness her hair possessed, and she never got bored of the twin ponytails she had worn since youth. She was a simple woman, she decided. Well, as simple of a woman as a queen could get.

"Your Majesty," a servant called as he slowly opened the large palace door.

"What is it now?" the queen asked, setting down her brush.

"We have been monitoring the boy as you said . . . ," the servant began.

"And what?" the queen asked, not even bothering to disguise her irritation.

"He has done nothing unusual," the servant finished. "All he has been doing is walking about aimlessly while carrying the body of his twin. I doubt there is really any sanity left to him."

Sighing, the queen stood and said, "Very well. You may quit monitoring him, but do not unMark him. As mad as he may be, I don't want to throw away any use he may be to me just yet."

"Very well, Your Highness," the servant replied with a bow.

"Also," the queen began, "his sister is still Marked despite being dead, no?"

The servant shook his head. "We cannot unMark her without unMarking him as well."

"I see," the queen said. "Oh well, it's not as if the girl's body will be worth anything now."

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Len walked into a bar that had a motel on the second floor. Seeing the dead girl in his arms, no one dared question him on anything. The man at the desk only gave Len his room key and directed him to where he would be staying. Len said nothing as he left the desk and carried Rin up the stairs.

On his way up he found a girl sitting on the top of the stairs, directly in his way. "You will move out of the way if you know what's good for you," he warned with a growl. The girl only seemed to ignore him. "Hey," he called after he stopped right in front of her, "didn't you hear me? Move out of the way!"

The girl looked up at Len with wide eyes and slightly parted lips. She turned around to look behind her, looked back at Len, and pointed at herself as if asking "Are you talking to me?"

"Yes you," Len spat. "Now move it!"

Not wasting a second, the girl jumped out of his way and pressed her back into the wall. Saying nothing, Len walked past her as if she were never there to begin with. It was after he had walked into his room did the girl release the breath she was holding.

"Thank goodness nobody can see me," she sighed aloud, shaking her head. "I don't like how rude some people can be." A light went on above her head. "He saw me," she realized. "He can see me!" she cried as she ran towards his door. Not even bothering to knock, she walked right through the door to his room.

Len was gently laying Rin down on the bed. He pet her hair and whispered kind words to her. The girl watched the scene and placed a hand over her heart at the sad sight. Poor thing she inwardly sighed, not sure herself if she was referring to the dead girl or the boy with her. When the boy turned around and noticed her, his expression was a mix of anger and surprise. "How did you-? Get out!"

"I need to talk to you," the girl quickly replied.

"I said 'Get out!'" Len repeated.

"I heard you the first time," the girl crossed her arms, a look of impatience decorating her demeanor.

"Well if you don't leave soon I'll force you out," Len responded, his brows furrowing, his nostrils flaring, and his eyes shooting the girl a cold glare.

"That won't work," the girl nearly smirked.

"Oh yes it will," Len said. He approached her and reached out to grab her by her shoulders. It was to his utter surprise when his hands went right through the girl.

"I told you that wouldn't work," the girl said, the smugness being evident in her tone.

"How did you . . . ?" Len trailed off.

"I'm already dead," the girl replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You can't hurt me."

Len backed away from her, his face ash white. "You're . . . you're a ghost." It was a statement, not a question.

"In a way, yes," the girl responded as she dropped her arms to her sides. "It's just that I really would like to- Hey, what are you doing?"

"This can't be happening," Len held his head as he collapsed near Rin's side. "This is my punishment, isn't it? I'm being haunted by a ghost because I murdered my sister, except the ghost isn't even Rin!"

"Relax," the girl said as she walked closer to him, her facial expression softening to that of comfort. "I'm not haunting you. You are the first person I have come across who can see me, so I want to ask for your help."

Len didn't even think for an answer. "No."

"Why not?" the girl asked.

"Because you wouldn't want my help," Len answered. "I'm a monster. Look what I did to my twin sister. I killed her. I murdered her with my own hands."

The girl did look at Rin. She reached out a hand and ran her fingers along Rin's cheek despite not possessing the ability to touch and feel. "You didn't murder her," she stated.

"Yes I did," Len hide his face in his hands. "She's dead, and it's all my fault."

"No," the girl shook her head. "This girl . . . she isn't dead."

Len looked at the girl in disgust. "What are you talking about?" he snarled. "She definitely is dead. She's not breathing, and there isn't a heartbeat."

"Her body's only frozen," the girl replied. "She's not dead, but she will be soon if a soul isn't placed in her body."

Confused, Len let out a single "What?"

"A soul," the girl explained as she stepped away from Rin's body and stood in front of Len. "Your sister isn't dead; someone took her soul. What did you do that has you so convinced you killed her? Because I can assure you she's not dead."

"I don't know what I did to her," Len honestly answered. "It's all a blur in my memory."

Pursing her lips, the girl responded, "Well this is interesting. You didn't kill her, so stop hating yourself. Her soul was merely taken from her body, and I think I know who's responsible."

For the first time since Rin's apparent death, Len seemed hopeful. "Who?" he asked.

The girl looked Len dead in the eyes. "The queen," she answered.

"The queen?" Len questioned. He remembered that before all of this he and Rin had found an invitation to the queen, but he never stopped to think that there might be a connection. "What would she want with Rin's soul?"

"A sacrifice," the girl answered. "She had originally intended to use me, but I escaped years ago and have remained hidden since. Now the queen's running out of time for a sacrifice, so I can only assume she took your sister in my place."

Len expression turned back again to that of intense death glares and flaring nostrils. "So this is all your fault?" he accused as he clenched his fists.

"No," the girl shook her head. "This is the queen's fault. She stole my body, and I want it back."

"And you're telling me this because?" Len asked even though he really didn't care.

The girl's answer was simple. "I want you to help me."

Snorting, Len asked, "Why should I help you?"

"We can get your sister's soul back as well," she answered. "I get my body back, and you get your sister back. Everyone wins."

Len took a moment to think about it. It was a fair deal, or so it seemed. If there was even the slightest chance Rin was still alive, he had to take it. Could helping this ghost girl get her body back be a fair price for saving Rin? Len didn't need to think to know the answer. If dying was what it took to get Rin back, he would lay down his life for her in an instant. "What's the catch?" Len asked, knowing there had to be something up.

The girl looked down, as if ashamed with what she was about to say. "I need to use your sister's body if I am to help you," she practically whispered.

It took Len longer than needed to understand what she meant, but he eventually caught on. "No way!" he shouted as he stood over Rin's body. "There's no way you're stealing my sister's body."

"Borrowing, not stealing," the girl said. "My using her body will be beneficial for the both of us. I will have a body, and your sister won't die."

"You said she wasn't dead," Len reminded the ghost girl.

"Not yet she isn't," she responded. "How long has she been like that?"

"Ten days," was the answer.

Nodding, the girl said, "You're fortunate her body has lasted this long. Unless they are being preserved, bodies without souls don't tend to last more than a week. If a soul doesn't occupy her body soon, your sister's body will completely shut down, and she really will die. You should be grateful I'm offering to reside in your sister's body. I can keep her alive until we find her."

"Why should I believe you?" Len challenged. "How do I know that you're not just tricking me into letting you use Rin's body so you can run away and be alive again?"

The girl's answer was almost instant. "You can't. I'm just some stranger to you; I'm not someone who's immediately worth trusting. However," she took a deep breath, "you don't have much of a choice. If you let me take control of you sister's body you can always hold on to the hope of getting her back one day. True, whether or not you trust me is a big question, but you need me regardless of trust if you want to keep your sister alive. Turn me down and your sister has no hope of ever returning to you."

Len thought about what the girl had said. She was right, though he would hate to admit it. This girl was claiming Rin was still alive and was offering to help him find her at the cost of using Rin's body. If Len sent this girl away and it turned out she was right, he would be guilty of murdering his sister twice. The worst thing that could happen was that the ghost girl was lying and that she runs away with Rin's body. It may have been crazy, but Len knew he had to take hold to as much hope as he could, even if it took a lot of trust for a total stranger.

"Fine," he agreed, "you can use my sister's body. If you try to run off-"

"I won't," the girl quickly interrupted. "I want my own body back, and that's that. I had my body stolen from me. I can't imagine stealing a body from another."

The way the girl said that was proof enough to Len that she meant it. She was genuinely going to help him. Granted, if they retrieved her body before rescuing Rin she might abandon him, but right now he was willing to do anything to keep Rin alive. "As you will," he nodded.

The girl slowly stepped away from her place and approached the bed Rin's body was lying on. "Before I enter her," she began, "what's your name?"

"What?" Len asked, mildly surprised.

Softly smiling, the girl answered, "I want to know your name. We're going to be traveling together for a while. Might as well introduce ourselves before I take on your sister's face, no?"

Len honestly didn't know where she was coming from but decided it would be better to introduce themselves sooner rather than later. "I'm Len," he said. "Len Kagamine."

"What a lovely name," she sighed. "My name's Miku. Miku Hatsune."

"Nice to meet you, Miku," Len said.

"Likewise," Miku whispered. Grazing her fingers just above Rin's face, she asked, "And your sister's name?"

"Rin," Len answered. "Rin Kagamine. She's my twin sister."

"She's beautiful," Miku said quietly. "Okay," she sighed mostly to herself, "here goes nothing."

What it appeared to Len what Miku did was sit on the bed before lying down, only when Miku lied down her body disappeared into Rin's. It was quiet for a moment, but then Rin's body began to have a seizure.

"Rin!" Len called as he reached out and tried to hold Rin's body down, forgetting that it was Miku who now lived inside Rin's small frame.

The seizures soon came to an end, and the body went back to being completely still. Not knowing what else to do, Len sat on the bed and held on tightly to Rin's hand. It was slow at first, but soon Len began to notice that the hand was starting to warm up. After perhaps five minutes, color was returning to Rin's previously death pale cheeks. The chest that had spent an entire ten days not moving began to rise up and down. "Miku?" Len called, now knowing who to expect when life returned to his sister's body.

It was for a second, but Len noticed her eyelids fluttering. When they suddenly flew open, Len was surprised to not see the cerulean blue that was Rin's eye color, but instead an emerald green.


	3. Chapter 3

Rin - no, not Rin - Miku sat up slowly and placed a hand on Rin's forehead, now her forehead. Rin's hands were now Miku's hands. Rin's face was now Miku's face. Rin's body was now Miku's body. The body may have still looked like Rin, but it was Miku who gave it life. Everything belonged to Miku now.

"Are you okay?" Miku quietly asked when she noticed Len staring at her in utter disbelief.

She looked like Rin, sounded like Rin, and smelled like Rin; but that was not Rin. Rin was gone, and this girl took her place. Len was about to yell at Miku, to tell her to leave Rin's body, before remembering that they were only doing this so they could get Rin herself back. Until he had his real sister back, Len would have to learn to look at Rin and expect the words and actions of someone else, something difficult to do after years spent with Rin.

"Why are you asking if I'm okay?" Len asked. "You're the one who forced herself into someone else's body."

Miku looked down slowly. Her green eyes, the only attribute of her appearance that was actually her own, studied the little girl hands she now possessed. "This must be difficult for you," she finally answered in a voice so quiet it was barely a whisper. "I'm using your sister's body. I've practically taken the place of your sister. How can you ever look at me and not hate me for having her face when I'm clearly not her?"

Len swallowed. Miku had a point, and they both knew it. "Like you said," he began, "if we didn't have a soul placed inside Rin's body soon she would really have died. You're just keeping Rin alive until we find her is all." Miku nodded slowly, but her eyes were beginning to look distant, as if Miku was slowly slipping away. "Are you okay?" Len asked.

"I'm fine," she whispered her answer. "I haven't had a body in years so I will need a moment of getting used to is all."

Looking outside, Len saw as the last rays of sunlight disappear into the earth. "We should rest for the night," he said. "We can begin searching tomorrow."

"That's a good idea," Miku said before she had noticed something about the room. "There's only one bed," she stated.

"You have it," Len said. "I was planning to sleep on the floor anyway."

"Are you sure?" Miku asked.

To answer her question, Len lied down on the floor and crossed his arms over his chest. "Would you mind handling me a blanket?" he asked. Miku took the wool blanket sitting on the foot of the bed and handed it to Len. "Thank you," he said.

Not knowing what else to do, Miku removed the brown shoes on the feet she borrowed, slipped under the sheets, and stared at the ceiling._I'm alive again_ she realized._ I have a body. I'm not invisible to the world anymore. I'm finally free._

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Len stifled a groan when he began to wake. Sleeping on the floor had never been his preference, but he just couldn't leave Rin on the ground. Except . . . Rin wasn't Rin anymore. The ghost girl Miku was using her body now. . . .

Bolting upright, Len found the bed empty. The sheets were made tightly, almost giving the impression that Rin's body was never there in the first place. The room may have been very small, but that didn't stop Len from searching high and low in every corner for any sign of Rin's body. None.

_She left_ Len concluded. _That Miku girl stole Rin's body! I knew I shouldn't have trusted her._

"Are you all right?" came a tiny yet strong voice from behind.

Len snapped his head one-eighty degrees to find Miku, still using Rin's body, standing behind him. "Where have you been?!" he demanded the moment he made eye contact with her.

"Not running away, if that's what you thought," Miku replied. "I woke up early and thought that perhaps you would like something to eat."

At first Len was unsure, but when he saw the tray of scrambled eggs, biscuits, and grits in her hands did he know she was being honest. "How did you pay for that?" he asked. "We don't have any money."

"Funny story, actually," Miku responded. "When I walked downstairs this morning everyone looked at me as if I were a ghost." Len had to hide a chuckle on that one because apparently Miku was oblivious to the fact the last time anyone saw Rin's body she - both Miku and Rin - was dead. "When I ordered, the nice man told me the price. 'I don't have any money. . . ,' I mused, and then he freaked out and said that it was on the house." Miku set the tray down on the nightstand. "Either the service here is really nice or they're all scared of me."

"Well you should know the rumors," Len said as he sat on the bed. "The ones about me carrying my dead twin sister around."

It took Miku a moment before she finally understood, her face falling with the realization. "And now the rumors are going to spread that the dead girl came back to life. . . ."

"Is that a bad thing?" Len asked, noticing the worried expression on her - Rin's - face.

"That all depends," Miku answered, the index finger curled under the lower lip. "What if the queen hears? What is she going to think? She has the real Rin, so who do you think she's going to assume is using Rin's body?" Throwing her - Rin's - hands into the blonde hair, Miku yelled "This is bad!" as she pulled on the hair.

"Are you a famous soul?" Len asked. Miku's reactions began to make Len feel as if Miku was some high class criminal.

"To the queen I am," Miku answered, giving a tug on the knee high white socks she wore. Miku obviously did not like the socks based on the dirty look she was giving them. "Of course I'm not the only soul out there so I can be anyone, but if the queen hears about this she's bound to look into it."

"How bad can it be?" Len asked as he reached out for one of the biscuits on the tray. Having an upset empty stomach was, to Len, worse than having an upset full one. By eating a biscuit Len was hoping it would be enough to settle his anxiety.

Miku's eyes widened with horror as she noticed the hand Len was reaching out with. "Very," she answered. Just before Len touched any of the food, she snatched his hand and examined the side. "You're Marked," she said, running her fingers over the yellow half heart on the side of Len's left hand.

"What?" Len was confused.

"Marked," Miku repeated. Looking at the right hand she used and seeing the other yellow half heart she gasped, "And so am I!"

"Could you please explain to me what Marked is?" Len asked, annoyed.

"A bad thing," Miku answered, panic swelling inside her. "A very bad thing."

"Any more specific, please?"

Shaking her head, Miku replied, "I don't know myself exactly what Marked means, but I can promise you it's not good. I was Marked before my body was taken from me."

What Miku said went round and round in Len's head. "Is that what happened to Rin?" he asked, half to Miku and half to himself. "She was taken because we're Marked?"

"I can only assume," Miku replied. Raising an eyebrow, Miku asked, "You two aren't from Wonderland, are you?"

"No, we're not," Len answered. "How did you know?"

"I never heard of anyone from Wonderland being Marked," Miku responded. "Now hurry up and eat. We have somewhere we need to go."

Len picked up a biscuit. "Where?"

"I was originally planning we pick up some supplies," Miku began, "but I think we'll have to postpone that until we can see what can be done about these Marks."

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Rin sat with her knees tucked under her chin and her arms hugging her legs close to her chest. The white dress she now wore was spread out all around her, and her shoulder length blonde hair, now lacking its trademark bow, flowed down unrestrained. She couldn't take it anymore. Rin wanted to get out of here and go home.

The voices of those who were kept in this jail cell before Rin echoed in the darkness. As long as things were silent the voices could be heard as they cried their sad song. Right now it was quiet, and Rin tried but failed to block the voices out. They were forcing their stories into Rin's mind, but she couldn't make sense of what they wanted to communicate to her. They responded to this by forcing their voices even harder into Rin. The blonde was praying that something, anything, would take away the quiet.

"Ah, there's my pretty girl."

It was an instant answer to her prayer. Rin tilted her head so that she was able to see her captor. She was the queen, or at least that's what Rin had heard the servants address her as. The queen leaned in closer as if to get a better look at Rin. At a distance the queen looked no more than twenty-five, but up close Rin could see the crow's feet and wrinkles around the queen's mouth that gave off that she was really much older.

The queen pet the crystal ball that imprisoned Rin's soul. "The more I look at you," she began, "the more I regret not taking your body as well. You're such a beautiful child, and you would have made a great replacement when this body grew too old. Such a shame you're dead now and your body's decomposing as I speak."

Rin said nothing. She didn't know whether or not the queen would hear her, but she didn't care enough to find out. Instead Rin only looked away.

"Now now," the queen said, "don't be like that. I heard that little brother of yours was running around, your dead body in his arms." When Rin look back in horror at the queen she knew she had Rin's attention. "He's gone absolutely mad, or so they say. I do hope not. Losing your body may have been a waste, but as long as he's sane the boy is still good. If he's insane . . . ," the queen trailed off before sadly tilting her head to the side. "Do you know how hard it is to take out the soul of a mad person? That's how some have lasted as long as they have. Unless you don't care what happens, you had better pray he's sane. You wouldn't want your brother to be dead too, no?"

Rin wanted to believe the queen was lying, but she knew better than to believe such when it was obvious the queen was telling the truth.

"Enjoy this while you can," the queen whispered, the smile on her face making her appear as if she was sharing a juicy secret, "because when the sun turns black you will be sacrificed to Master." The queen laughed as if Rin's being sacrificed was the funniest thing ever. "If you want a count down, you have exactly sixty days."


	4. Chapter 4

"Are we there yet?" Len whined for what Miku believed was the hundredth time that day.

"Will you shut up?!" Miku hissed from ahead, annoyed. "The trees in this forest may be blind, but they're not deaf."

"What kind of saying is that?" Len rolled his eyes.

"It's not," Miku replied. "I'm serious." Looking behind herself to see Len's questioning face, Miku walked up to him, leaned in, and whispered in his ear, "We don't know whose side the trees are on. If they're on the queen's side they'll report anything we say that they consider suspicious. You have to remember that this is Wonderland and that the trees are just as alive as anything else here."

Instead of responding, Len nodded in acknowledgement. He followed close behind Miku, and after a few minutes he, out of years of habit, reached out at took hold of the hand she borrowed. When Miku stopped abruptly and looked at their joined hands in surprise, Len quickly defended, "Sorry, but I'm used to Rin and me holding hands as we travel. I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's okay," Miku interrupted, a look that seemed to be a mixture of grief and relief flashing behind her eyes. "I kind of need the comfort, to be honest here." No more words were exchanged as the two continued to walk through the woods, hand in hand. After they had walked for roughly a couple hours, they came to a very wide tree. "We're here," Miku smiled as she released Len's hand and ran forward.

"Where's 'here'?" Len asked. "What are we here for?"

"Not _what_," Miku replied, a grin beginning to form. "_Who_."

"Okay," Len said unsurely, "who are we here for?"

I'm largest smile spread across Miku's - Rin's - face. "The grinning cat," Miku answered.

"The grinning cat?" Len questioned, but Miku ignored him.

"Cheshire!" Miku called. "Cheshire, are you here?"

"Now who would disturb my afternoon napping?" a voice asked from behind. Len turned around in surprise, but nothing was behind him. "I'm over here," the same voice called by Len's head, but when Len turned around to that direction there was still no one there.

"Cheshire," Miku rolled her eyes, "quit playing around. You're scaring him."

"I'm not scared," Len stated, but when he saw a giant grin floating mid-air he jumped back and let out a squeak of fear.

"Quit manly, isn't he?" the lips said before a gray tabby about as big as Len manifested behind them. Looking at Miku he asked, "Who are you and why have you called me?"

"It's me, Cheshire," Miku answered. "You remember me, right? Miku?"

"Miku?" the floating cat mused for half a moment. "Why, it is you! I would recognize those emerald eyes anywhere, but I couldn't be sure. You look totally different from the last time I saw you."

"That's because this isn't my body," Miku replied, the corners of her lips falling to a frown.

"Long story, I assume?" Cheshire asked. At Miku's nod he said, "Well worry not, I won't press for such a long story when it's apparent you're stressed for time. What is it you're here for?"

"You once told me while I was still new in Wonderland that if I were ever Marked I should go to you," Miku responded. "Well, this boy and his sister are Marked, and I wanted to know if you could unMark us."

With a flick of his tail, Cheshire replied, "I cannot. Only the one who has Marked you can remove the Mark."

Miku furrowed her brows. "Then why would you tell me to go to you if I was Marked?" she asked.

"So that I could lead you out of Wonderland," Cheshire answered. "You didn't come to me when you were Marked, and now you lost your body. I could still show you the way out, but I doubt you will want to leave like that."

"So you're saying you can't do anything about these Marks?" Len asked.

"Weren't you paying attention, boy?" Cheshire said. "You're stuck with those Marks, whether you like it or not."

"What even are these Marks?" Len asked.

"Let's just say the queen uses them to monitor you," the cat answered.

"Wait, monitor?" Miku questioned. "That means she won't have a difficult time finding us if she ever wanted us within her grasp."

"Bingo!" Cheshire praised. "That is why I wanted you to leave when you were first Marked, but I don't think you'll consider leaving now."

"Of course I won't," Miku shook her head. To Len she said, "We have to move now. I doubt the queen's monitoring me because she believes Rin's body is dead, but if she checks on you we're as good as dead ourselves. We have to move now."

"I can't talk you out of this suicide mission, can I?" Cheshire asked, floating by Miku's side.

Shaking her head, Miku answered, "We have to at least try. We need to get his sister and my body back. Both of those things are too important to just give up."

"I see," Cheshire mused, paw under his cat chin. "Well," he vanished, "take this as a parting gift." He reappeared in front of Miku and handed her a sack. "Take care now, Emerald Eyes. Farewell, Squeaks."

Len wanted to yell at the cat for such a ridiculous nickname, but before he could the cat vanished out of sight. "Stupid furball," Len mumbled under his breath.

Miku's eyes light up at the sack's contents. "I had ought to thank Cheshire," she said. "I though these were extinct."

"What are they?" Len asked as he tried to look over her shoulder.

With a giant smile spread across her face, Miku answered, "Mushrooms!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Where are we going now?" Len asked as they left the forest.

"To pick up those supplies I told you about," Miku answered as she tied the sack around her waist. "If we're to get your sister back we have to have the tools to defend ourselves."

"Why do I not like where this is going?" Len mumbled.

"You'll get over it," Miku said unsympathetically.

The two traveled through a lane with a checker patterned street and trees that reminded Len of taffy. The grass was purple, and the clouds in the sky were pink. All over there were giant boulders that made Len think of gumballs. "I don't remember traveling through this part of Wonderland," Len thought out loud.

"There's more of Wonderland than you will ever see in your lifetime," Miku said, "or at least that's what I've been told."

Before Len could answer, a herd of horses raced out from behind the boulders half a mile away and approached the two at a great speed. On top of the horses were soldiers, and they looked as if they had a bone to pick with the two. "Should we run?" Len asked as he began backing away.

Miku reached out and took hold of Len's wrist, preventing him from going anywhere. "No," she answered. "Those soldiers aren't cards or chess pieces, they're men. Whoever they are, they have nothing to do with the queen."

"Still," Len said, "how do we know there won't be any trouble?"

Miku smiled mischievously. "See that warrior next to the leader? The one on the gray horse and the cherry red hair? I know her."

By the time those words left Miku's mouth, the entire group had the kids surrounded. The lead horseman, a man with darker than black hair and icy blue eyes, asked, "Who are you and where are you going? Failure to state your business will result in instant execution."

Tilting her head innocently, Miku said, "We're just two lonesome children wondering about. Is it really necessary to threaten us like this?"

"It is if you mean trouble," the woman answered.

Looking the woman straight in the eyes, Miku said, "That suit of armor really looks good on you, Teto. I always knew silver was your style."

The woman Miku called Teto seemed completely taken back by Miku's confident statement. "How do you know my name?" she asked, quickly exposing her sword and pointing it so that the tip of the blade was just barely touching Miku's borrowed nose. Len jumped backwards from the sudden action, but Miku didn't even flinch.

"It's me," Miku answered. "I'm your friend. Miku."

"Nonsense!" Teto exclaimed as she kept her sword in place. "The Miku I knew got Alice syndrome before becoming queen."

"That's not me," Miku insisted. "Someone stole my body, Teto, and now they've taken this girl's soul as well. I only look like this because I'm using this body until I can get mine back."

"How do I know you're not lying?" Teto challenged.

Taking a deep breath, Miku began, "When you were thirteen you were scared of the dark, your favorite food was French toast, you were afraid of snakes, you dreamed of being a soldier - which it seems you have accomplished - you had this massive crush on Rook that you made me swear to not tell anyone, and you used to call me your big sister."

Teto looked at Miku, too shocked for words. "M-Miku?" she said slowly. "Is that really you?"

Miku nodded. "Yes, Teto. It's really me."

Without a second's hesitation, Teto sheathed her sword, jumped off her horse, ran up to Miku, and threw her arms around the body that now made up Miku's physical existence. The rest of the soldiers watched in stunned silence.

"Oh my goodness," Teto whispered as she cried into the shoulder Miku was borrowing. "It is you. It really is you. I thought . . . I though . . ."

"You thought I had turned evil?" Miku finished for her as she returned the embrace.

Teto nodded. "You have no idea how happy I am to know that it wasn't you. That the queen isn't you."

"Come on, Teto," Miku teased, "do you really think even for a second I would go evil on you?" Teto had only laughed as a response.

Len, confused as ever, shouted, "Could someone please explain to me what's going on here?!"

Both Miku and Teto, as well as all the soldiers there, stared at Len, making him feel uncomfortable. Teto narrowed her eyes at him. "Sorry but, who are you?"


	5. Chapter 5

"So let me get this straight: Teto is an old friend of yours?"

After Miku and Teto's reunion, the red head had invited the children to stay with her until things were sorted out and Miku was ready to move on. Until then the blondes currently sat in Teto's dining room, waiting for said woman to return. The table the two were sitting by was small and wooden, and the chairs were nothing more than wooden stools. As night started to fall the cottage was lit up by a small lamp hanging on the post on a wall, casting shadows in all directions.

To answer Len's question, Miku nodded the head she used, causing the blonde hair to flow with the movement. "I meet her when I first came to Wonderland, shortly before I was Marked."

"But, she's an adult," Len pointed out. "How could you two have been friends?"

"She was only thirteen when I meet her," Miku responded as she took a sip of the lemonade Teto made for them.

"Wait . . . ," Len took a moment to think about Miku's casual statement. "How old are you?"

"I turned forty-one this past August," Miku continued to drink her lemonade. "What?" she asked when she noticed Len staring at her as if she was an alien.

"There's no way you're forty-one!" Len exclaimed. "You had to be, at the most, sixteen when you were a ghost."

"That's because I was sixteen when my soul was ripped from my body," Miku explained. "Souls don't age, thus it matters not the age of the physical body I take. I myself may be forty-one, but as long as I'm using Rin's body I'm now fourteen again."

Len only gawked at her. "This is really weird and hard for me to understand," he said.

"You'll get used to it," Miku predicted as she polished off the rest of her lemonade.

"I found them," Teto declared as she walked into the room and placed a bag on the table. "I never had the heart to throw them out, but that's a good thing, huh? I never would have ever in a million years imagined you coming into town in someone else's body."

"Never would I have ever imagined using someone else's body," Miku said as she opened the bag.

"What do you have in there?" Len asked, his curiosity making forget about Miku's real age.

As an answer, Miku pulled out a long blade. "The condition of these swords is excellent," Miku grinned. "Thanks for taking such good care of them, Teto."

"Don't mention it," Teto smiled as she sat down with them.

"Earlier you mentioned Miku - or Miku's body, that is - got Alice syndrome," Len observed. "What exactly is Alice syndrome?"

Teto crossed her arms, closed her cherry eyes, and leaned back on the chair. "Alice syndrome is not an actual disease, if that's what you're thinking. We use Alice syndrome to refer to those who went crazy on levels that are more than just simply going mad. What makes these insanities related is that first the victims were Marked, and then after they had gone mad they insisted upon being called 'Alice.' As far as we know, it's only ever happened three times in history, with Miku being the third."

"But that's not the case," Miku pointed out. "True I was Marked, but I didn't go insane or anything of the sort. Something that is now Wonderland's queen ripped away my soul and stole my body."

"A something that prefers to be called 'Alice'," Len pointed out.

"The thing is that it starts with a Mark, then next insanity," Teto said.

"But Rin and I were Marked," Len began, "and we didn't go insane."

"But your sister's soul was stolen from her body, no?" Teto asked.

"True," Len said, "but whatever stole Rin isn't using her body now."

"Perhaps because Miku's body is still in good condition," Teto guessed. "The time between the first two Alices was roughly a decade, and the second Alice died long before any of us were born."

"So what Alice needs is a soul," Miku started. "Before I escaped she told me she was going to give me as a sacrifice on the black sun. That was twenty-five years ago, and I assume if she doesn't have a sacrifice soon then she can't keep my body as her own."

"That would seem to make sense," Teto replied. "She needed a soul fast, so she took the one that whose body your using."

"And Len's still Marked," Miku pointed out. "If she ever needs a new body she could always take his."

"Wait, what?" Len asked. "But I'm a boy! Isn't Alice a girl?"

Teto shook her head. "We are only referring to Alice as a female because Alice is a girl's name. For all we know, Alice could be genderless."

"Even if not," Miku started, "it wouldn't matter. Just as the age of a body doesn't matter to a soul, neither does the gender. If it was you who was taken and not Rin, I could have used your body just as easily."

Hearing Miku's statement made Len fell really uncomfortable. He believed Miku felt the same because of the rose pink that begin to color her - Rin's - cheeks. He was almost ashamed of himself for secretly being glad it was Rin who was taken and it was her body in which Miku now took residence in. Almost.

"There's still the matter of why Alice is doing this, though," Teto said. "Why would she be stealing bodies?"

"Better yet," Miku said, "what even is Alice?"

"The Alice of which whom you speak

"Is nothing more than a little dream.

"Innocent she is at your first peak

"Yet in the end she'll make you scream."

Miku and Len both looked at Teto. "What did you say?" Len asked. "Do you know something about Alice?"

Teto shook her head. "I know nothing about Alice."

"But where did that come from?" Miku asked. "You said Alice is a dream. Why would you just say something like that?"

"Because that's exactly what the Mad Hatter told me," Teto responded. "After you went mad - or when Alice stole your body, I should say - I visited the Mad Hatter and asked him if there was any way to save you. That's exactly what he told me, but I never got it until now. What we call Alice syndrome isn't a disease, it's just the process of Alice Marking her victims before stealing their body."

"And Alice is a dream. . . ." Miku quietly concluded. "Neh, Teto," Miku began, "does the Mad Hatter still live around these parts?"

"Same place for the past three hundred years," Teto replied, "and even madder than before. I don't know what you're expecting to get out of him."

"If it concerns Alice then anything is good enough," Miku said. "The more information we have, the better."

"Well I'm certain he has plenty of information," Teto replied, "he did know the first two Alices, after all. It's only the matter of getting him to talk."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Miku said. Standing, she said, "Come on, Len. We need to get moving."

"The sun's nearly set," Teto pointed out. "Why don't you two rest for the night and set off first thing in the morning?"

"I vote for that," Len said, barely able to feign energy any longer.

"The Mad Hatter lives far away from here," Miku said. "A day's journey, at least. If we are to find Rin before it's too late we can't waste time."

"I know a short cut."

The group turned around to find a girl who looked to be fifteen standing by the stairs. "I can take you to the Hatter's place in half the time," she claimed.

"Who's this?" Miku asked Teto.

Smiling, Teto answered, "That's my daughter, Ruko."

"She looks a lot like Rook," Miku said before the realization dawned on her. "Shut. Up," Miku nearly exclaimed. "You married Rook? And you two have a daughter together?"

Teto looked down shyly. "I knew that if you ever found out you would look at me like that."

"Like what?" Miku grinned cheesely.

"Like a pervert!" Teto broke into laughter.

"Aw," Miku placed a hand on Teto's shoulder and gave her a shake. "My little sister's grown up."

"I'm older than you now," Teto reminded her.

"Mother," Ruko approached the table, "who are these people?"

Straightening herself, Teto replied, "This is Miku," she said, her palm angled towards the girl.

"Like the friend you used to have before she got Alice syndrome?" Ruko asked.

"No, I mean yes, well," Teto shook her head. "What we call Alice syndrome turns out to really be something called Alice that steals others' bodies and lives through them. Alice stole Miku's body and became queen doing so. Miku - the real Miku who was my friend - is now using the body of this boy's sister until they can save the girl and get Miku's body back."

Ruko looked at Miku and studied her for a moment. "So you're really Miku?"

Nodding, Miku replied, "I am."

"This is all very complicated," Ruko stated.

"It is," Miku agreed. Taking a good look at the girl, Miku said, "You look so much like your father."

"And yet she has nothing of mine," Teto shook her head.

"I don't know," Len started. "She has your eye."

Ruko glared at Len, her one ice blue eye and her cherry red eye seeing into his soul. "Watch it," she warned.

Len held up his hands in surrender. "Sorry, sorry," he quickly said.

Taking the last available seat at the table, Ruko asked, "So why do you want to see the Mad Hatter?"

"He may know something about Alice," Miku answered. "If we're to beat her and get Rin and my body back, we need all the help we can get."

Ruko rested her chin on her hand and her elbow on the table as she sat still and evaluated the situation. "I'll help."

"You will?" Len asked, surprised.

"You don't know how bad of a queen she is, do you?" Teto asked. "We need to have her brought down, and taking back what she stole may be a good start."

"I doubt it will be easy, though," Miku said. "I'm sure if we can just get to Alice then taking care of her won't be a problem, but how are we supposed to get to her in the first place? The palace is bound to be heavily guarded."

"Especially since the queen is afraid of death," Ruko mused.

"I fear we don't have any clue how we are going to get inside," Miku held her head in her palms.

"You have roughly two months before the black sun," Ruko said. "You have until then to think of something."

"So we're going to wait two months to get Rin back?" Len asked with disgust.

"The queen can't offer her sacrifice until the black sun," Miku reminded him. "Trust me, I want to save her as quickly as you do, but we can't afford to be rash about this. We need a plan. It's as simple as that."

Sighing, Len stood up and said, "I think I'll retire for the night. Ruko, will you be ready to leave at the break of dawn?"

"Most certainly," she replied.

"All right," Teto said. "I guess that's the end of this conversation. Sleep well. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow."


	6. Chapter 6

A loud thud next to his head snapped Len out of his dreams. Bolting upright, he found Rin in what appeared to be combat clothes, her hands resting comfortably on her hips. Len inwardly sighed. He had forgotten again that it was Miku who controlled Rin's body, not Rin herself.

"For someone who really wanted to head out early," Miku began, "you sure overslept."

"What time is it?" Len asked as he rubbed his eyes.

"Just after sunrise," Miku answered. "Here," she kicked the bag next to him, "change into these. It's not healthy to wear the same clothes all the time so Teto gave us something to wear that will also be better for combat."

Len took a moment to inspect Miku. The dark blue pants looked nearly skin tight but had to be loose and comfortable if they were considered good for fighting, the black shirt she wore was short sleeved and did not appear as tight, the laced brown combat boots reached above her ankles, and a brown belt that held what had to be a sword was wrapped around Miku's waste. The outfit honestly looked great on Rin, except one part of the style was totally un-Rin like. Miku had styled her hair - Rin's hair - into a low ponytail, the bow completely missing.

"Rin never goes anywhere without her bow," Len quietly whispered before he knew what he was saying. Without another second's hesitation, Len picked up the bag of clothes and went into another room to change.

Miku brought her hand to the hair that was not hers. She had almost forgotten that this was harder for him than it was for her. Miku couldn't see herself so it was easy to forget whose face she wore, but it was different for Len. Whenever Len looked at Miku, it wasn't Miku he was seeing. Every time he looked at her, Len saw Rin. He saw Rin's face, her smile, her frown, and her herself; nothing, except maybe her eyes, was Miku to him. By simply deciding to wear her hair different Miku was unintentionally dishonoring Rin's memory. Miku was making Len secretly hate her more and more.

Taking the white ribbon off the pile of clothes she had set down, Miku looped it through a loose piece of hair and tied the ribbon into place. By the time she was finished, Miku had placed Rin's signature bow back where it belonged. _Certainly it won't hurt to wear a bow in this hair_ Miku mentally decided.

"Are you sure we should wear these clothes?" Len asked as he emerged from the room in which he changed, carrying on one arm the clothes he was previously wearing.

Miku took one look at him and answered, "Yes, I'm sure." Len's pants were looser than Miku's, but his shirt was tighter. He still needed his belt and combat boots, but other than that his outfit was better suited for the journey they were about to take.

Len looked at Miku and noticed the bow on top of her head. When Miku saw Len staring at the bow, she tilted her head to the side, closed her eyes, and smiled as a giggle erupted from her throat.

"Ready to go?" Ruko asked as she entered the room. The black haired girl wore dark pants, a black shirt, and a leather jacket opened in the front.

"Almost," Len answered as he sat down and began lacing his boots.

"So what exactly is this short cut?" Miku asked as she filled the pack with her sack of mushrooms and first aid supplies that Teto had bought for them.

"Through the Boro Grove," Ruko answered.

Miku froze the instant she heard what Ruko had said, her hand holding the sack midair. "Th-the Boro Grove?" she questioned.

Nodding, Ruko replied, "I know it's dangerous, but anyone with a good focus can get through unaffected."

"What happens in the Boro Grove?" Len asked as he wrapped his belt around his waist.

"Let's just say it's the one place you don't want to stop and smell the flowers," Ruko answered. "Not unless you're interested in becoming one."

Seeing Len's confused face, Miku explained, "Most who go inside the Boro Grove never come out. The aroma of the trees is enough to make you want to stay forever. If you stay too long, you'll become a tree."

"That's the route we're taking?!" Len exclaimed. "Why can't we just go around?"

"Because it will take too long to do so," Ruko replied. "I know how dangerous it seems, but getting in and out of the forest isn't impossible. I should know, I've traveled through the forest many times. All you have to do is keep a tight focus on what you're doing and where you're going."

"Is that really that simple?" Miku asked.

"Only if you believe it is," was Ruko's answer.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Here you three go," Teto said as she handed Miku a large bag. "I packed some food for you guys because I knew you wouldn't have anything to go on during your journey. It won't last long, but I hope it'll be enough for now."

"I'm certain it will be," Miku said as she accepted the bag. "Thank you very much, Teto."

"Anything for my long lost friend," Teto smiled. To Ruko she said, "Be very careful, Ruko. If the queen comes after them you will be in trouble as well. I honestly hope nothing happens to any of you, but I can't help but be worried."

"Don't worry, Mother," Ruko replied. "I will know what to do if things turn in unexpected ways."

"Take good care along the way," Teto said. "And Miku, I truly hope all goes well in your journey."

"I hope so too," Miku quietly responded before giving the woman one last hug.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Rin sat in silence as she observed the queen pace the room in babbling rants. It wasn't that Rin took interest in what had the queen so upset, but it prevented Rin from hearing the voices sing their heartbreaking tale. Anything was better than that agony.

"This is all your brother's fault!" Alice exclaimed as she stabbed her finger in Rin's direction. Rin only looked on as if she couldn't hear what was being said. "If he had just been weak willed then I wouldn't have to stress about growing old. Do you have any idea what it's like to grow old? Of course you don't! You're sitting in the splendor of youth!" All this because the queen found a gray hair that morning?

Shaking her head, Rin once again came to the conclusion she would never understand what this woman was talking about. Queen Alice always said it was Len's fault she was growing old, but Rin never could figure out how Len would be responsible for such.

"It was him I wanted," Alice continued to ramble, "but I got you instead. Now I may not have a body to use after this. I could use his, but from my understanding he has gone mad. I can't use anyone who has gone mad!"

Queen Alice took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Calm yourself," she advised as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "You have to maintain your kind appearance. Kill everyone in your way and you're locked up as a symbol of sin. Brainwash all who hear you and some madman will shoot you in the head. This is the furthest I have ever gotten in a life, and I can't ruin any of it now."

It was with a deep ache that Rin heard those words. The voices told Rin about what Alice had done to them. Rin knew the body did not truly belong to Alice, yet for some reason that voice did not speak to Rin. _Perhaps the body has to die before the story can be told . . ._ Rin quietly assumed.

"Your Majesty," a servant rushed in without first knocking and held a look of panic on his face. "It's the blond boy!"

"What about him?" Alice asked in a tone that suggested no interest at all.

"He's not carrying the girl's body any more," the servant answered.

"That's good!" Alice beamed. "That means he's not mad."

"No," the servant shook his head. "The girl's body is moving on its own."

This got both the queen's and Rin's attentions. "What do you mean?" Alice asked in a whisper of a voice.

"I'm not sure," was the answer. "The rumors state that the dead girl the boy was carrying around has come back to life. If you have the girl herself, then someone else is using her body."

"No," the queen whispered as she stalked to a wall on the other side of the room. Alice yanked away a curtain, revealing a large, golden mirror. Rin had almost expected the evil queen to chant "Mirror, Mirror, on the wall," but instead Alice ordered, "Show me the boy who bears my Marking!"

In an instant, the reflection in the mirror changed to what appeared to be a forest scenery. In the front was a black haired girl whom nobody recognized, but who was following close behind were two blondes that made the queen stiffened all over. The boy was himself all right, but Alice knew someone was now controlling the girl's body. Looking into green eyes, Alice hissed, "Not that dreadful girl!"

Rin, finally overcoming her shock, felt anger boil in her chest as she watched her physical body being controlled. _That person is a body snatcher, just like Alice!_ Rin yelled inside her head. _Len is being fooled_! Just then something dreadful occurred to the blonde. _But what if he knows that's not me?_ Even with a bad view, Rin was able to tell that the only difference between how she usually looked and how her body looked now was the eyes. Wouldn't Len notice if his sister's eye color was different?

"What do you propose we do?" the servant asked as Alice sneered at the mirror.

Taking a deep breath, Alice answered almost too calmly, "Nothing yet."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I said we do nothing!" Alice snapped, jaw clenched. "I shall give orders when the time is right."

As the queen stomped away, Rin inwardly debated with herself whether or not she would want Alice to get her hands on the one who had stolen Rin's body.


	7. Chapter 7

"Here we are," Ruko suddenly announced after the group had been traveling for most of the morning.

As with the previous day, the sky was a soft mix of pink and orange, making the time appear to be sunset despite the noon sun hanging high in the sky. The grass was yellow and the trees dark gray with moss colored leaves. Len decided that he liked this sunset painting area better than the candy version on the other side of the village.

"We're at the Mad Hatter's already?" Len asked, looking around as if there was something he was supposed to see that he hadn't found yet.

"No, Idiot," Ruko huffed as she placed a hand on her hip. "I meant we're at the entrance to Boro Grove. We can't get to the Mad Hatter's unless we go through there."

"But there's nothing here . . . ," Len said quietly, trailing off with uncertainty.

"That's what the forest wants you to think," Miku said as she walked towards one of the larger trees. "It's here, but we can't see it." With a hand in front of her, Miku slowly walked towards the tree before suddenly being swallowed up by it.

Len was about to exclaim that Miku needed help, but Ruko said before he could open his mouth, "Looks like the body borrower has it figured out." Walking towards the same tree Miku went through, Ruko was about to step through before facing Len and asking, "Are you coming?"

"Y-yeah," Len answered with a stiff nod.

Ruko immediately turned back around and walked into the tree, and Len followed close behind. The two found Miku gazing around the forest, taking in the scenery with wonder and amazement. "Miku," Ruko said cautiously.

"I don't want to stay, if that's what you're thinking," Miku frowned at Ruko's cautious look and Len's worried expression. Did they really have such little faith in her?

"Good," Ruko sounded relieved. "Its always nerve wrecking bringing people here. Some will take one look at this place and forget that they actually plan to leave."

Len walked up to Miku's side and observed the forest with her. The trees were covered in dark green moss and large purple flowers that emitted a purple cloud every half minute. The ground was covered in the greenest grass either of the two had ever seen, and white and yellow flowers bloomed all over. Unlike outside the grove, the sky was a brilliant, natural blue. Slowly reaching out, Miku ran a hand on the bark.

"This has to be the nicest feeling bark I have ever touched," Miku said quietly, as if in a daze. Snapping her hand back and shaking her head furiously, Miku exclaimed, "But I don't want it to become my skin!"

"Then I suggest you don't dwell on all of the forest beauty," Ruko said as she walked past the two, "or inhale the scent coming from the flowers. Whatever you do, for the love of God, do not stop to sniff the purple flowers. I would not be happy if either of you ended up like my Uncle Ted."

Simultaneously, Miku and Len looked back at the tree Miku had touched and saw the face of a man twisted into the tree. The face of the man was knotted up in a way that told the teens the man had realized too late what was happening to him, and his expression was now forever frozen in a silent scream. The only thing the two could think immediately after seeing that was to get out of there before another minute had passed.

"Follow me," Ruko ordered as she began stalking forward. "Don't get separated," she warned. "It won't be easy to fight off the will to stay if you're alone."

Miku and Len nodded as a response. The three walked through the forest, careful to avoid the purple clouds. Len went as far as to cover his nose with his shirt, but Miku continued to stare wide eyed at the trees. If anything, Miku wasn't being careful enough for Len's comfort. She was too . . . comfortable with her surroundings.

"Will be out soon?" Len asked, his tone nervous.

"We're halfway there," Ruko answered. "We made it this far now so no one had better screw it up."

Len had wanted to claim that nothing was going to happen, but Miku's obvious sense of curiosity prevented him from saying that confidently. Miku kept taking in all of the sights, and when she thought no one was looking Miku would run her hand over the tree bark. _All it would take was one whiff of the purple clouds and Miku will be a goner_ Len gulped.

The snapping of a branch in the distance brought everyone to attention. "Oh no," Ruko mumbled. Aloud she yelled, "Run!"

The three of them began to sprint through the forest. Adrenaline pumped through their veins, and their focus sharpened dramatically. Fear kept their legs moving, and Miku knew the legs she was borrowing were going to be sore by the end of everything.

"Run into that tree!" Ruko commanded. No one slowed when they approached the tree, and running through the trunk was how the group reached the exit of the forest. The tree was as solid as the entrance, making the passing through painless.

"What . . . ," Miku doubled over once they were safe and began to pant. "What was that all about?"

"I thought I heard the branches move," Ruko answered. The girl acted as if she weren't tired as she kept herself from breathing too heavily. "If you go a long time without falling for their trick, the trees will use their branches and roots to trip you in an attempt to trap you."

"Does that always happen when you go through there?" Miku asked, her pants not ceasing.

Shaking her head, Ruko answered, "Only when I go in groups." Ruko leaned over as if to look behind Miku and asked, "Hey, where's Blondie?"

Miku instantly snapped her head around. Len was not behind her. "Don't tell me . . . ," Miku was too horrified to finish.

Before he could make it out, Len tripped on a root that came up out of nowhere. He cried out in surprise as he fell over, but unfortunately his outburst was unheard by the girls as they kept running forward and refusing to look back. It was after Len had stood back up that a flower puffed its scented cloud into his face to be taken in by his deep inhale. When the cloud vanished, Len had forgotten who he was and that he had ever planned on leaving.


	8. Chapter 8

"We have to go back!" Miku yelled as she tried to pull free from Ruko's grasp. Miku was trying to run back into the Boro Grove, but Ruko had a firm grip on the arm Miku borrowed.

"There's no guarantee you'll make it out again," Ruko warned as she tightened her hold on the girl.

"I told Len I would help him get his sister back," Miku argued. "I can't go back on my word."

"You can't get the girl back if you get her body and yourself turned into a tree," Ruko replied.

Miku planted Rin's feet firmly on the ground and yanked free from Ruko. "I'm not leaving Len," she stated. "Getting Rin back won't mean half as much if she can't be reunited with her brother."

"And I can't leave you," Ruko sighed. Giving in, Ruko said, "Fine, we'll go back inside to search for the boy. We meet back her in an hour, whether or not you have found him. Agree?"

Exhaling loudly, Miku responded with "Agreed."

Both girls walked back into the forest and split up to go in opposite directions. Ruko was certain Len would still be on the path they had taken, but Miku thought it would be best to check the bed of flowers they had passed since, when they were walking past the flowers before Len got separated, Len told Miku that he and Rin used to play in the flowers all the time when they were really young. Miku's decision had been proven right, for she found Len kneeling in a bed of white flowers. Miku was certain the flowers were nothing more than harmless daisies, but she was still cautious to not smell them.

"There you are, Len," Miku said with relief as she tried to keep from running towards him.

Len looked at Miku, his facial features calm and relaxed. "Hey, Rin," he returned. Holding up a crown of flowers, he said, "I made a garland for you."

_I don't know whether to be impressed that he can make garlands _Miku said to herself _or ashamed that I can't make them but a boy can._

"Come on, Rin," Len insisted, "sit with me. We can spend forever here. We can be happy."

"No, Len," Miku shook her head. "I'm not Rin. I'm Miku. We have to save Rin, but we can't do that if you don't leave."

"Don't be silly, Rin," Len said as he returned his attention towards the flowers. "I know my elder twin sister when I see her."

_He doesn't even remember Rin's in trouble!_ Miku approached Len and began to pull on his arm. "Come on, we're leaving."

"NO!" Len yelled as he yanked his arm away. "For the first time since we came to this bloody place I'm finally happy."

"But it's not real happiness," Miku argued.

Len gave Miku a threatening look. "If you want to leave then good riddance, but I'm not going anywhere!" With that the boy turned away and walked towards another bed of white flowers.

_Now what am I supposed to do? He's thoroughly convinced I'm actually Rin _Miku worried. Suddenly she had an idea. Miku didn't know if her plan was going to work, but it was all she had to go on.

Walking towards where Len had gone, Miku found Len braiding more flowers. "Hey Len," Miku said in the sweetest voice she could muster, which wasn't a difficult task since Rin's voice was already sweet and girly sounding.

Len didn't even look up. "I'm not leaving."

"I won't make you leave," Miku vowed as she sat next to him. "I promise." Len gave Miku a suspicious stare, but he didn't say anything about it. Picking a few daisies, Miku asked, "Mind if I make a few garlands with you?"

"I don't mind at all," Len answered, his tone cautious

Despite her attempts at mimicking his movements, Miku could not get her flowers to stay together the way Len's did. Pursing her lips, Miku again tried to braid the steams, but the flowers failed to turn out the way she wanted them to. With Len's stubbornness and her own failure at making garlands, it took all Miku had to not scream in frustration, storm out of the place, and never return again.

"Need help?"

Miku looked over to see Len staring at the mingled flowers in her hands. "Y-yeah," Miku replied.

Picking a fresh set of daisies, Len handed half to her and began to explain how to keep the flowers together as they were being braided. Miku listened intently, but Len stopped mid-sentence when he looked into Miku's eyes. For the first time since he'd been hypnotized, Len seemed uneasy. "Who are you?" he asked.

Miku gulped. Now was the time her plan came into action. "It's me, Len," she answered. "I'm your twin sister, Rin."

The lie seemed to strike Len as he intensified his gaze on her. "No, you're not," he said the obvious.

"Yes I am," Miku kept up with the lie. "Remember, Len? We've been traveling through Wonderland together. Can't you tell that the one before you is your beloved big sister?"

"No," Len shook his head. "You're not Rin. Who are you really?"

The look Len was giving her was beginning to scare Miku, but she wasn't going to give up just yet. "I'm Rin."

"No," Len growled as he threw down the daisies and wrapped his fingers around her throat. "You're not Rin. Where's Rin? The real Rin? Tell me where my sister is!"

Miku chocked back tears as she felt Len squeezing her throat, slowly cutting off her air supply. She wrapped her hands around his fingers, but Miku didn't dare to attempt at prying them off. "Rin's in trouble, Len," Miku cried, her voice mangled. "She needs your help. She needs you."

With a scowl on his face, Len tightened his grip on her. "Where is she?" he growled.

"Not here!" Miku choked out. With the last breath she had left in her, Miku gasped, "Rin's in danger, and she needs her brother to save her."

Realization made itself apparent on Len's face. "That's right," he whispered. "I have to save Rin. I have to find her." Len looked into Miku's eyes, and a moment later he noticed what he was doing to her. "Oh God!" Len gasped as he let go of his death hold. "Miku!" Wrapping his arms around the entire body, Len pulled her close and said, "Oh my God, Miku. I'm so sorry. I didn't know what got into me. I'm sorry. I'm so very, very sorry."

Miku inhaled a large intake of air. After severely coughing for several seconds, Miku said, "It's okay, Len. You weren't yourself."

"I could have killed you," Len responded as he tightened the hug. "You could be dead right now and it would be all my fault. How . . . How many times am I going to strangle the people close to me?"

Feeling hot tears land on her neck and soak through her shirt, Miku returned the embrace and said, "Don't worry about it. Right now we have to get out of here if we want to save Rin."

Without another second passing, the both of them got to their feet. "This way," Miku said as she held on to Len's hand and began pulling him along with her. The two ran through the woods and met Ruko along the path. "Come on," Miku called to the girl. "We're getting out of here!"

Ruko ran alongside Miku and Len. Seeing Len's tear stained face she asked, "What happened to him? I thought the fragrance was supposed to make you happy. Instead he looks depressed."

"That's not important right now," Miku answered. Seeing the exit straight ahead, Miku warned Len, "We're going to run right into that tree. Don't worry, it won't hurt."

"Okay," Len replied as he struggled to keep up.

The three of them ran through the tree, and after they were through Miku and Len both collapsed on the floor and began panting. "Let's never go through there again," Miku huffed.

"Agreed," Len got out.

Looking back at Len, Miku could see that he was still crying. "Hey," she said as she crawled next to him and sat down. "It's okay. We're out now."

"I could have killed you, Miku," Len sobbed. "If I didn't snap out of it, you would be dead, Rin would be doomed, and I would be a tree. I fell for it. I didn't focus enough on rescuing Rin to fight it. I'm a horrible brother, and I'm a monster for almost killing you."

"Shhh," Miku soothed as she wrapped her arms around Len. "You're not a horrible brother, and you're most certainly not a monster."

"Yes, I am," Len said.

"No, you're not," Miku insisted. "When I pretended to be Rin, you knew something was wrong. You knew I was not who I claimed to be, and you kept demanding where Rin, your real sister, was."

"I didn't have to strangle you," Len whispered, his lips quivering.

Miku rest her head on Len's. "I could have been a demon in disguise for all you knew. It's not as if you were trying to kill me, your friend Miku." It was the first time the either of them had used the word "friend" to describe their relationship, but after what they had gone through thus far Miku deemed the title appropriate for the current situation.

A minute of silence passed before Len said, "I will never forgive myself for any of this."

Not knowing how to reply, Miku continued rest her head on Len as she tried to find the right words to say. What was there even to say?

"I hate to break this beautiful moment short," Ruko, who was forgotten all about, said, "but we don't have all day. Are we going to the Mad Hatter's or not?"

* * *

Author's Note: I have been meaning to put this since the last couple of chapters but each time it has completely slipped my mind. Anyway.

Disclaimer: The Boro Grove isn't my idea. I got the idea for the forest from the Once Upon A Time in Wonderland episode Who's Alice. I might have changed the rules a little bit (it's been a year since that episode aired so I don't remember everything), but the concept is still the same.

-Ray


	9. Chapter 9

The rest of the way was not much more than a short walk. Miku kept holding Len's hand in an attempt at further comfort. Len held fastly to Miku in hopes of not losing her again. He had to make sure nothing happened to Rin's body, and he had to make sure no harm ever came to Miku again. How she even managed to look at him when he almost killed her made Len determined to watch for Miku herself as a way to make up for almost being the death of her. Little did the said girl know Len was beginning to care for her as a person. She had said they were friends, making Miku the only friend Len had in this twisted world. How could he begin to care so much for her when they've only known each other for two days?

"We're here," Ruko suddenly announced, "and this time I do mean the Mad Hatter's."

"What a . . . cozy place," Miku said when she saw the run down cottage. The tiny building had shingles that probably were blue once upon a time falling off the roof, the paint seemed to have peeled off a long time ago, and a window board snapped clean off its hinges shortly after Miku said her words.

"Remember," Ruko warned as the group approached the home, "the Mad Hatter is, well, mad, so do try to be patient with him. I promise you'll get good results if you do."

"Ready?" Miku asked Len when she noticed his uneasy expression.

"No," he immediately answered, "but I'm not ever going to be so let's not bother in waiting another minute."

Miku squeezed Len's hand before letting go. She followed behind Ruko as the black haired girl opened the door without knocking. "Hatter," Ruko called as she stepped through the entrance. Miku came in next, just in time to notice a teacup flying towards her. In an attempt to save herself, Miku stepped back outside and slammed the door shut just in time for the cup to crash against it.

"Ow."

Looking down, Miku noticed Len on the ground. "Sorry," she apologized after she figured that when she stepped back she pushed Len over. Helping the boy up, Miku explained, "A teacup was about to hit me."

"It's okay," Len replied as he rubbed the side of his head.

When Miku opened the door and walked inside she heard a man's voice say, "It's rude to walk inside somebody's home without at least knocking first."

"It's also rude to throw teacups at people," Miku countered, mimicking the Hatter's British accent.

"Be nice!" Ruko hissed to the both of them.

Shaking his head, the Hatter waved his hand towards Miku and Len as he said, "Please, take a seat." After Miku and Len sat down, the Hatter saw them and scolded, "No, don't sit down! Take a chair. I have too many of them, and some help getting them out of the house would be nice."

"He does have a lot of chairs," Len mused as he and Miku sat down and looked around the cluttered room. With the exception of the dozens of chairs, the room also had a long table in which the Mad Hatter was seated, a desk with a missing leg, and a bookshelf with collapsed shelf. After he had finished observing the room, Len turned his attention to the man he and Miku came to see.

The Mad Hatter had curly black hair with silver streaks showing themselves here and there, brown eyes with flakes of gold, and an apparent obsession with clown make-up. His coat was worn, and Len couldn't tell if the coat was green or black in its younger days. The hat on top of the Hatter's head was also well worn, the top close to peeling clean off. The Hatter looked at Len, then Miku, then back at Len. "Am I seeing double?" he asked Len.

"No, sir," Len shook his head. "She's my twin sister. Well," Len looked again at Miku and remembered that technically she was not his sister, "Miku's not my sister, but the body she's using belongs to my sister."

"The relationship that wavers~," the Hatter sang, "between siblings and strangers~." He glanced at their eyes before saying, "So you have blue eyes and she has green?"

"Miku's eyes are green," Len agreed, "but Rin's aren't. Her eyes are only like that because Miku's borrowing Rin's body."

"Eyes like the grass and eyes like the sky~," the Mad Hatter sang this time, "will be how to tell the other by~."

"Please stop singing," Miku said.

"A death shall come to a friend~," he continued, ignoring Miku, "but that is how this era shall end~."

"What are you even singing?" Miku threw her arms up.

The Mad Hatter waved his finger at her. "Patience, you naughty body borrower."

"Please, Mr. Hatter," Len tried, "what can you tell us about Alice."

"Which one?" the Hatter asked.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Which Alice do you want to know about?" the Mad Hatter said as he poured himself a cup of tea, only there was a leak at the bottom of the cup. "There's Alice the flower girl. Alice the merchant. Alice the queen."

"The queen," Miku said quickly. "We would like you to tell us what you know about the queen."

"All I know is this," the Hatter began as he sipped from the broken cup as if unaware the tea had already leaked out. "Before she was queen, Alice was a normal girl from the world above who became infected with Alice syndrome."

"We know that," Miku said impatiently. "I'm that girl. Alice ripped me out of my body and has now ripped Len's sister out of this body."

"Then why did you ask about Alice the queen if you already knew that?" the Hatter asked.

"The dream," Ruko tried. "Tell us what you know about Alice the dream."

"Wait just one minute," the Hatter raised a finger. "I told you something, now you have to tell me something."

Miku was about to say something impolite, but Len cut in and asked, "What would you like to know?"

The Hatter smiled before answering, "How did you and your sister come to Wonderland."

Miku cast a curious gaze towards Len. She had yet to hear how Len and Rin got tangled in this mess in the first place.

"We were playing in the woods, not too far from home," Len began. "Out nowhere Rin and I see this pure white rabbit. Rin's first instinct was to chase after it, and my first instinct was to chase after Rin. After I caught up to her, Rin was kneeling besides this huge hole.

"'I saw the rabbit enter this hole,' Rin told me. I suggested we leave and not bother scaring the rabbit further, but Rin was too stubborn to listen. She leaned forward as if to peer inside, and next thing I know I see Rin fall in the hole.

"Of course I jumped in right after her," Len continued. "Before we knew it, we found ourselves landing on this tiny island in the middle of nowhere. The only thing there was a yellow boat. I had a bad feeling about the boat, but as it was the only way off the island there was no choice but to take it.

"Rin and I landed at this beach with orange sand, and after traveling for some time we came across this sign. It said 'Welcome to Wonderland' written at the top, and a 'You Are Here' with an arrow pointing at a certain point on the map. There was no exit we could find, so the two of us decided to explore until we could find someone who might be able to help us get home.

"Suddenly, next to this huge rose bush, we found this table with tea and pastries just sitting there. Everything still looked fresh so Rin and I figured someone was going to have tea and had went out on an errand. After about ten minutes Rin decided to go ahead with the tea party, and under the tea pot is when we found the card that was the start to everything going down hill."

"Let me guess," Miku titled her head to the side, "an invitation to the queen."

"Yeah," Len replied. "How did you . . . ?"

"How did I know? Simple." Miku stuck her hand into her bag and pulled out a small rectangle. "I found this in Rin's pocket shortly after I began using her body," she said as she handed Len the card.

Len looked at the card. It was bent up now, but the words were still readable and the heart - the yellow ace of hearts - was still as bright as ever. "I hate this thing," Len said as he folded it up and placed it in his pocket.

"Interesting," the Hatter mused after half a moment of silence. "Now what about you, Dear?" he asked Miku. "What does your story have in common with his."

Pursing her lips, Miku answered, "I was also in a forest near my home when I came across a white rabbit. I chased after that rabbit, and I leaned in too close to the hole I saw the rabbit go into."

"Do you know what that means?" the Hatter asked.

Miku and Len made eye contact, and Miku answered, "We were led here."

"Precisely," the Hatter said as he poured himself another cup of tea, this time in a whole cup. "Alice can't use the bodies of Wonderful inhabitants, so she takes the form of a white rabbit in order to lure those from above here."

"So we're not the only ones?" Miku asked.

"You don't know much about the first two Alices, do you?" Ruko asked.

"I've barely heard about them," Len answered.

"I knew the first Alice," Hatter said. "Her real name was Meiko Sakine. Sweet girl. A swordswoman, too. She came to Wonderland after following a white rabbit down a rabbit hole.

"The second Alice I never met before he got Alice syndrome. I believe his real name was Kaito Shion. Anyway, his voice was so lovely he could brainwash the people to be whatever and whoever he wanted them to be."

"He brainwashed them?!" Miku exclaimed.

"The forbidden songs," the Hatter said as he blew on his cup of tea. "Somehow Alice, in Kaito's body, got his hands on the forbidden songs and began using them all over Wonderland. Good thing I was there to put a stop to him before any real damage could be done."

"'Put a stop to him'?" Miku questioned, her brows furrowed in obvious worry for what answer she was about to receive.

As calm as one could be, the Mad Hatter pulled a gun from under the table and placed it next to the tea pot. Miku and Len jumped back in shock, resulting the Hatter to say, "Relax. It's not even loaded."

"You killed the second Alice?!" Len shouted.

"In my defense," the Hatter said, "I thought I was taking out the dream as well. The problem was Alice saw me before I fired and fled before the bullet came in contact with the body. Of course, I didn't figure this out until the word of Queen Alice began circulating." Shaking his head, the Hatter mumbled, "I'm so ashamed in myself for failing to rid the world of her."

When Len gave Miku a questioning look she explained, "If a soul - or in this case a dream - dies in a body, they're dead for good. In order to kill Alice, we'll have to make sure she doesn't flee the body we're trying to kill."

"And if you die in Rin's body?" Len had to ask.

With a heavy sigh, Miku gave the dreadful answer. "If I die in this body, two deaths will occur: Rin will die because she will no longer have a body, and, because I won't be able to return as a ghost, I will die that time forever."


	10. Chapter 10

Time seemed to have stopped. Everything seemed to be part of a dream Len would wake up from at any given moment. The small, dark cottage cluttered with old, rickety chairs and thick layers of dust wasn't real. The British man with the dark green-gray coat, torn purple pants, battered top hat, and make-up so thick his face appeared ghostly wasn't looking into a sugar bowl as if wondering where the sugar had gone. The girl with the black hair and mismatched eyes and dressed in all black wasn't glaring at him from across the room. Rin wasn't gone and someone else was taking her place.

Yet Len knew this ridiculously insane situation was indeed his reality.

"Both you and Rin would die?" Len asked, secretly hoping that Miku would give him a different answer.

"Rin would become like I was when we first met," Miku answered. "She will become a ghost forced to wander Wonderland unless there's an empty body she could use. I, on the other hand, don't have that luxury. If I die, I really die. Your body's dying without you leaves your soul unable to cross over, but dying in a body is your final death."

Len didn't know how to take the news. Of course his first priority was to protect Rin's body, but he didn't know how he felt about Miku dying. He may have hated Miku at first, but she was beginning to grow on him. She was his friend and companion. He wouldn't take well to her dying at all.

"How do we stop Alice?" Ruko asked. "Well, minus the making sure she won't leave her body part."

The Mad Hatter answered simply, "The prophecy."

"What?" Miku raised an eyebrow.

After taking a sip of tea, the Hatter began quoting.

_"When a new dream is set free_

_Its own world it will want to be._

_Leading others to its trap_

_And then their life it will sap._

_Two shall rise and take a stand,_

_And deliver the future from her hand._

_The relationship that wavers_

_Between siblings and strangers._

_Eyes like the grass and eyes like the sky_

_Will be how to tell the other by._

_They worry not over a spear_

_For their weapon will be fear._

_A death shall come to a friend,_

_But that is how this era shall end."_

Miku, Len, and Ruko exchanged glances before staring at the Hatter. "You two are both siblings and strangers," the Mad Hatter said.

"What?" Miku furrowed her brows while Len pursed his lips.

"Boy," the Hatter called to Len, "what was your relationship with this girl - the body borrower - precisely a week ago?"

"I, uh," Len said, "I didn't know Miku a week ago. She was a complete stranger to me then."

"And now as she's using that body," the Hatter continued, "she may very well be your sister."

Miku and Len gave each other looks. Len couldn't think of Miku as his sister, but he couldn't think of his sister without looking at Miku. Perhaps the Mad Hatter had a point in that one.

"The prophecy was describing the relation between the heroes and how their only difference in appearance is eye color," Hatter said. "You two fit the bill."

"So Alice's death was prophesied?" Miku asked.

"Of course, child," the Hatter answered. "The prophecy was explaining how the next era shall start, foretelling the next rulers of Wonderland."

"Okay," Len said. "Is there anything else you would like to tell us about Alice?"

"There is not much more I can tell you," the Hatter said. "Even my knowledge of Alice has its limits."

"Can you tell us what we should do next?" Miku asked. "If you know about this prophecy then certainly you can point us in the right direction."

"Nope," the Hatter answered. "That is all I have for you. Now I shall kindly ask you to leave. Your presence here as overwelcomed itself."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You go in asking how to kill a dream, and you come out with a prophecy," Ruko shook her head. "I don't even think he knew exactly what he was talking about."

"Either way . . . ," Miku mumbled to herself. A light suddenly went off above Miku's head, prompting the girl to gasp. Spinning around, Miku looked at Ruko and said, "Go back to Teto and tell her to spread the word that Alice will be taken down by the next eclipse. If she asks what you mean, tell her 'Miku has a plan.' Also," Miku nodded her head in Len's direction, "I need you to take Len with you."

"Wait!" Len butted in. "I'm going with you."

"No you're not," Miku stood her ground. "Where I'm going is very dangerous and life threatening. You could be killed if I let you come with me. You're going with Ruko."

With that Miku began to storm away, but a tug on her wrist made her turn around and see Len holding on tightly to her. "I'm going with you," Len coldly stated as he let go of her wrist. "In case you have forgotten, that body is not yours. You have no right to say where it goes or what it does. I'm going with you because I have more of a claim to that body than you ever will. That's my sister's body, and I will do whatever it takes to keep her body safe."

One look into Len's eyes was all it took for Miku to see that there was nothing she could say or do to ever change Len's mind. "Fine," she reluctantly agreed, "you can come, but be warned you might die."

"At least when I die mine will only be one death," Len replied.

"Anyway, Ruko," Miku turned back to the girl, "can I count on you to do as I asked?"

"Yes, ma'am," Ruko responded. "I don't know what you're up to, but I don't have any plans of my own so whatever you say goes."

"Good," Miku said. "I will spread word soon as I can." Sticking out her hand, Miku said, "It was nice getting to meet you, Ruko."

"Likewise," Ruko said as she shook Miku's hand. "Bye, Len," she waved before heading off to the Boro Grove. Miku watched the teen leave and secretly wondered if that was the last time she would ever see Ruko.

"This can't be right," Len mumbled to himself after Ruko had gone. "Dreams are supposed to be pleasant. Wonders are supposed to bring you joy. Fairytales are supposed to give reason for hope. So why . . . So why does it feel as if we have fallen into an eternal nightmare?"

"Because we have," Miku replied as she began to walk away. "We have been ripped out of the lives we once lived and now have to stop a psycho dream who loves stealing bodies."

"And if we fail who knows how many more victims Alice will have," Len said, following in step behind her.

"If that's not reason enough to stop Alice then I don't know what is," Miku said. "I want this to end, regardless of what it will cost me."

"So," Len said, "now what?"

"Something so simple it's dangerous," Miku said as she began leading the way. "The prophecy says our weapon will be fear, right?"

"I guess so," Len answered, furrowing his brows, "but what does that mean exactly?"

"Only the most deadly thing in the world," Miku replied. "We have to find the Vorpal Blade."

* * *

Author's Note: Sudden ending is sudden. Before I was close to publishing this I was afraid no one would read it, and since I hate dedicating myself to fanfics nobody's reading I decided to split this story into a series that way I could have breaks in between each installment. Of course this fanfic was more popular than I anticipated so I feel bad for cutting you guys off like this.

However, I can happily announce that the sequel, Alice's Second Human Sacrifice, is halfway complete and will begin publishing soon. The story will not only follow Miku-Sama and Len-Kun as they search for the Vorpal Blade, but the story will also hold the occasional flashbacks for the twins, Miku-Sama, and the first two Alices themselves. As for the Vorpal Blade, if you know what that is you know what to expect for the future, and if you don't know what the Vorpal Blade is all I'm going to say it's something you're really going to want to find out (don't rely on me, just Google it).

Before I finish off here I want to thank everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed. Thank you. Also a big shout out to three of my readers (who are also my friends on this site so naturally they get more love).

B.A.G-Gomez: Thank you so much for being this story's first reviewer. Never would I ever expect a review within the first five minutes of publishing. :P Thanks for showing on-going support for this since day one, I really appreciate it.

Ushinatte Neko: Your reviews always made me laugh. I'm really glad you liked the Marking thing I threw in enough to use it in one of your one-shots (if no one has read Neko-Chan's Wonderland one-shot yet I highly recommend you do; it's really good!). Thank you for your love and support. :)

The Super Twins: Don't think because I saved you for last you are any less important, K-Chan! If not for you this story probably not be up yet because it was your excitement for a random Alice Human Sacrifice idea I had that really encouraged me to put this out there regardless of how unpopular I was expecting it to be. Now I know you're going to yell at me until I get the second one up so I probably need to get to that very soon. XP Thank you for your enthusiasm and for giving advice when I asked you what I should do on things I couldn't decide on (which you probably don't remember, but I still appreciate it :P). Thank you for being this fanfic's biggest fan, and thank you for being a great friend.

Okay, before I bore the rest of you with this long thank you note I'm going to cut it off here. Thank you everyone who read this. You guys are amazing!

-Ray


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